


(Won't You) Stay to the A.M.

by lululawrence



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Actor Harry, Actor Louis, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Famous Louis, For reasons, Homeless Character, I think that's about it, Kinda, Louis is British but Harry is American, M/M, NYC, Personal Trainer Liam, Riding, he just isn't as successful as Louis, oh yeah and also
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-08-28 20:50:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8462500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/pseuds/lululawrence
Summary: Harry tucked a few loose strands back up into the bun on top of his head and headed to the front of the building.  He really would rather no one saw him behind the gym where he worked if possible so they wouldn't have a chance to catch on that the address he gave for work was actually his friend Ed’s and the number belonged to his buddy Niall.  Harry didn’t like the term homeless, because he was making at least some money now and he was actively looking for a better gig so he could actually afford at least a bed in this massive city, but that’s basically what he was.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of, he knew that, sometimes shit just happened and this was how it turned out, but he also didn’t want to broadcast his situation if he didn’t have to either.  Especially if Louis Tomlinson, Britain's most talented young actor, was going to be frequenting Harry's place of employment on a regular basis.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyLondonderry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLondonderry/gifts).



> My darling LadyLondonderry! First of all I adore you, so I hope that you also adore this fic. It was a pinch hit, so I wasn't able to put forth the time I really wanted in order to really delve into your prompts, but I hope this will do and make you smile!
> 
> I did tweak the homeless Harry thing a bit, but only because I ran across [this article](http://nypost.com/2015/07/18/i-went-from-couch-surfing-to-starring-on-broadway/) thanks to Hamilton obsessed mutuals only a few days before I got your prompts. Because of this, I thought it might work well to fashion Harry after Daveed, at least just a bit. I hope you don't mind and that you still like it!
> 
> That being said, while I have visited NYC, I am not entirely familiar with the city so most of my mentions were based off of memory or I just flat out made it up. Please forgive me!
> 
> I also had the best cheerleader, [Tin](http://silentlarryshipper.tumblr.com), the most amazing beta, [Lexi](http://idareyoutotakealook.tumblr.com), and the wonderful [KK](http://waytoomanypeopleintheaddisonlee.tumblr.com) as brit pick. They are wonderful, but all remaining mistakes are entirely my own. 
> 
> The title comes from AM (if you didn't recognize this and you're reading this fic, I can only ask why), and without further ado I hope you enjoy this fic that I had such fun writing!
> 
> You can now also read this in [Russian](https://ficbook.net/readfic/5146087)!

Another breeze came through the alley and Harry almost gagged in his sleep.  That was the worst part about being back here when it’s close to trash day in the summer: the smell.  It’s not bad at all a day or two after the trash has been collected or when it’s cold, but when it’s warm out or downright hot, New York City alleys can be quite smelly.

Harry heaved himself up, brushed the seat of his pants, and took the cardboard box he sits on to ensure he doesn’t get his only pair of jeans dirty.  He wrapped his makeshift mattress in the sheet of plastic he fortuitously found to keep it dry a few days ago, and tucked it back between the brick wall and the pipes that lead up the building to keep it where Harry can find it later.  

He turned around to quickly grab the backpack that carried his only other change of clothes and a few personal effects like a toothbrush and mini bottles of shampoo before checking his watch for the time.  It was still fairly dark out, so he knew he woke up early enough to hopefully be able to grab a quick wash in the bathroom at the McDonalds across the way before coming back to start his shift.  It was only 4:45 am so he had the time.  

Shouldering his bag, Harry tucked a few loose strands back up into the bun on top of his head and headed to the front of the building.  He really would rather no one saw him back there if possible so they wouldn’t have a chance to catch on that the address he gave for work was actually his friend Ed’s and the number belonged to his buddy Niall.  Harry didn’t like the term homeless, because he was making at least some money now and he was actively looking for a better gig so he could actually afford at least a bed in this massive city, but that’s basically what he was.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of, he knew that, sometimes shit just happened and this was how it turned out, but he also didn’t want to broadcast his situation if he didn’t have to either.

There’s easily a break in the traffic so he could cross over to the McDonalds.  Harry headed back to the restrooms and took a quick piss before setting his bag onto the corner of the sink.  He unzipped the front pocket where he kept his washcloth, rezipped the bag, and set it to his feet.  He was able to shower when he stayed at Niall’s the night before, so his hair wasn’t too greasy.  He just needed a quick wipe down in the important places to keep himself feeling, looking, and smelling like he didn’t sleep in the alley behind his new job.

Harry wet it down, pumped a bit of the handsoap onto the cloth, then rubbed it together to suds it up.  He slowly massaged it into his face before setting it back on the corner of the sink and rinsing his face off.  He did similarly when he pulled his shirt away from his body and swiped at his under arms and neck, but to rinse them he used paper towels from the bathroom, moistened them, and cleared away the soap.  

Harry then painstakingly rinsed every bit of soap and grime from the washcloth so it wouldn’t dry stiff before wringing it out and placing it into the baggie he kept for when it’s wet and put it back in his pack.  He took down his hair and ripped off his used shirt before pulling his clean and brand new work shirt, that read “Planet Protein” on the front, out of his backpack and quickly put it on before someone could walk in on him shirtless.  He pulled out his deodorant and applied a bit before looking back in the mirror, ruffling his hair, and then pulling it back up so it looked a little nicer than before.

Harry gave himself a once over, deemed himself acceptable, and headed to the front to grab a hash brown for a dollar.  It’s not much, but it’ll keep him going as his employer said he also got a free protein shake every shift he worked.  Harry will save that until the end of his shift so it’ll last him longer.  He’s got an audition that afternoon that he was hoping would lead to something and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to grab anything more to eat before he got to Ed’s that night to sleep.  

Putting all of that from his mind for a little longer so he could avoid stressing himself out this early, Harry sat himself by the window and closed his eyes to take a whiff of the crispy potato goodness he’s holding.  It was steaming and seemed pretty fresh, so Harry only nibbled at it so as not to burn his mouth and people watched.  It might only be just past 5 am, but the streets were already starting to fill.

As the salty crunch filled his mouth, Harry wondered if the woman carrying four different shopping bags and a tray of coffee was a kind boss or someone who was checking her phone because there were more instructions her boss has given for her to fill before getting to the office.  He wondered if the man skateboarding in a three piece suit while wearing beats headphones skateboarded because it’s fun and faster than the subway or he liked the juxtaposition of his clothes and his chosen mode of transportation.  He wondered if Louis Tomlinson was walking into the gym across the street because he wanted to get more healthy or if he’s getting fit for a new role.

Wait.  That couldn’t really be Louis Tomlinson, could it?  Harry lowered the half eaten hash brown from his mouth and tried to see if he could make out if the person shaking hands with someone inside the large glass windows was actually who he thought it was.  He knew that while Louis is English, he mainly lived in New York City,  _ but come on _ .  

This was some run of the mill fancy gym that had it’s cardio equipment looking out on the street from behind massive plate glass windows, where Harry just got a job working the blender at the protein shake place on the first floor.  There’s no way Louis Tomlinson would choose that gym of all of them.

Harry shook his head at himself, he had to have been imagining things, and continued eating his hash brown.  It’s almost time for him to head over to work anyway.  He had an exciting four hours of training to look forward to.

 

XXX

 

“No, your arms are dropping.  I need you to keep them out at shoulder height!  Watch yourself in the mirror,” Liam instructed.  Louis really was beginning to hate his trainer.  They’d worked together for ages, but never had Louis tried to bulk up in the slightest.  He usually just wanted to keep fit and push the cardio so he was good to go for his charity football matches he played in regularly.  This was an entirely different beast.

“But Liam, I can’t physically keep them there anymore.  It’s been like five hours,” Louis gritted out as he tried to fight the burn and raise the five pound weights back to where they should be.

Liam snorted as he watched Louis’ form.  “Keep your core engaged and make sure you’re breathing through this as well.  You’re doing great and you’re almost done.”

Louis had to close his eyes because sweat was getting in them and his hands were otherwise occupied.  They stung from the sweat, his arms were about to fall off, and his legs were feeling a bit shaky from the lunges, squats, and wall sits Liam had tortured him with earlier.  All in all, Louis thought he might die.

Right when he wasn’t sure if the bigger focus should be breathing or feeling his arms, Liam called time and Louis dropped the weights and allowed his arms to fall.

“Thank fuck,” he gasped as he leaned over.  He was going to put his arms to his knees, but he wasn’t sure he could do that.  He might have a problem using them for the rest of the day, which could prove difficult.

“Now, we’ll just finish with some more core work and then stretch.”  

Louis groaned.  “Why did I agree to this again?”

Liam laughed.  Louis looked into his eyes that were nearly shut he was smiling so wide.  “Mate, this is my job and for once, I’m able to fully kick your arse doing it.  Don’t worry, we’ll focus on yoga and cardio the next couple of days to let your muscles recover, but why you agreed to this only you know.”

Louis knew he was right, and Louis had a lot of reasons he agreed to this.  Louis was arguably one of the most well known British actors of their day, thanks to taking a chance on a role for a film that they didn’t think would make it anywhere. It ended up winning more than 8 Oscars and blowing all kinds of records out of the water.  It was a psychological thriller and Louis had only been 18 when he took the role.  Ever since then, he had tried to branch out as much as he could, but found that he was only really being considered for dramas, period pieces, or romantic comedies and nothing was wrong with those.  Hell, Louis really couldn’t complain because thanks to all the work he had been able to buy his mum a better home, help his sisters go to schools of their choice, and he could retire comfortably at the ripe age of 25 if he wanted.

He didn’t want to do that, though.  Ever since he was a kid what he really wanted was to be in at least  _ one _ action movie.  The kind of movie that made every young boy think the hero was so cool and the baddie was even cooler.  Louis finally had the chance to do it.  This was his chance to be the guy that all the kids looked up to!  He was definitely giving it his all and getting himself into the best shape of his life for it.  

It didn’t mean he liked Liam any more for doing his job so well, though.

Louis somehow found the strength to move the weights back to their spot and followed Liam over to the mats set aside for stretching.  Liam pulled over one of the little scooters and nudged Louis’ shoe with it.

“And what are you expecting me to do with that?” Louis asked, arching a brow.  

Liam rolled his eyes and smiled.  “Fine, I’ll show you.”  

Louis watched as Liam got on his hands and knees with his hands on the mat and knees off of it.  He then toed the scooter over to where he could put his toes on it and lifted his knees off the floor.  He then somehow began a controlled movement of pushing his feet out to where he was in a plank position and then drawing them back in so he was in a tuck.  Back and forth, completely controlled and steady.

Louis rolled his shoulders that already felt like dead weight.  This was going to be killer, but he wasn’t going to give up easily.  Liam hopped up, hardly having broken a sweat and smiled wide.  

“Ready?”

Louis chuckled a bit, before steeling his resolve and getting down himself.  He did as Liam just had and was okay until he lifted his knees from the ground.  He grunted as his entire body shook and he tried to slowly stretch his legs out.  His arms began to shake more and more and it was to the point where Louis was just trying to stay up, not even move.  He finally collapsed and the scooter went flying across the area, luckily missing the others who were there for an early morning workout.

“Well, that was a good try, but maybe we should save it for a day where I haven’t just killed your shoulders.”

“That would be great,” Louis mumbled from where his face was smashed into the mat.  “Have I earned a good stretch session now?  Please?”

“Sure.  Do all your usual stretches and then I’ll be back to show you some special ones that focus on the muscle groups we targeted today.”

Louis dragged himself onto the mat and started easy by pulling his knees up to his chest.  As he focused on his breathing and the various stretches his mind wandered.  He had a busy day full of meetings, mostly all on his phone, and then he had some coaching to work on his accent.  He was supposed to be American for this and while he was okay, he definitely wasn’t great.

Once the stretches were done, Liam accompanied Louis to get his personal things then to the protein place downstairs.

“They keep it pretty simple here,” Liam said.  “But honestly, it’s some of the best protein shakes I’ve had when it comes to helping with recovery.  Your body will love you if you have one of these after every workout.”

Louis squinted at the board.  “It only has one size.  And three flavors.”

“Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry.  Yep.  They said they’ll have banana soon too, but I dunno when.”

Louis hummed as he waited for his turn.  Rather than having to wait, the girl behind the counter yelled over her blender at him.

“What flavor you wanting?”

Blinking, Louis scrubbed at his sweat soaked hair and pulled off his headband.  “Uh, chocolate?”

She nodded before pouring whatever flavor she was working on into the three cups standing in front of her, clapping lids on, and shoving in straws.  

“Three vanillas!” she yelled as three women who had been standing off to the side worked their way up and grabbed them before heading over to the till to pay.

Louis continued watching her work, curious about what exactly made these shakes so great, but it must be something because Louis thinks there are more people waiting for shakes than he saw upstairs.

“Okay, so you’re going to be pretty stiff later today, I need you to make sure you continue moving and you drink a lot of water.  I also need you to make sure you have plenty of protein and potassium through the rest of the day, and a bit more dairy probably wouldn’t hurt either.  Same time tomorrow, right?”

Louis nodded his understanding.  “Yep, bright and early.”

“Your favorite,” Liam teased before heading back to the steps.  “I’ll see ya then, Lou.”  Louis waved at him and turned back to focus on the girl who seemed to be blending three different shake flavors all at once.  Damn, that’s pretty impressive really.  She finished up the chocolate last, and Louis was interested to see what it tasted like.  He was expecting grainy shit with the texture of sand, but was pleasantly surprised.  It tasted like chocolate.  Not great chocolate, but chocolate all the same, and the texture wasn’t grainy at all.  He looked at the massive cup entirely impressed while he waited his turn to pay.  He wouldn’t mind having one of these every day.

He stepped up to the register and was working on pulling his card out when he finally paid attention to the man behind the register.  He was wearing an army green t-shirt that said “Planet Protein” on it and his eyes were like moss they were so green.  He had incredible brown hair pulled up in a fluffy bun and that just seemed to accent his cheekbones.  Shit, the man was gorgeous.

“Do you have a rewards card?” he asked.  

Louis furrowed his brows in confusion.  “Uhm, no?  Should I?”

The man smiled before pulling one off of the pile beside the till.  “I mean, you don’t have to, but for every ten you purchase you get a free one.  If you’re planning on coming back, I don’t see why you wouldn’t.”

“I’m definitely coming back, I’ll take one.  Thank you.”  The man smiled softly at him before punching a hole in the box with a 1 in it and handing the card over.

“Your total will be $9.57 today.”

Louis handed his card over and sucked another mouthful in while watching this man’s frankly huge hands handle the card with dexterity.  His arms were sinful, and Louis found himself getting a brain freeze because he was drinking the shake too quickly while focusing on his forearms.

“Have a great day,” Mr. Eyes said with a small smile, handing the card back.

“Thanks,” Louis returned.  “You too.”

The rest of the day, Louis could not stop thinking about the man with the green eyes and it was only as he was going to sleep that he realized he never even got his name.

 

XXX

 

Harry gazed at the intricately patterned ceiling as he waved his arms above him. He closed his eyes and focused on moving with the nonexistent breeze as Maria continued their monologue about the feeling of opening up their petals as the sun shone warm on them. Penn Station really was quite beautiful. 

As they finished their part, Harry took over. 

“My branches, my leaves! They ache for more sunshine! That warmth that breathes life into me so I can breathe life into others calms me! 

“That wind!” he cried, eyes opening and seeking out anyone who may have stopped to watch their impromptu performance. “The way it brushes past me, caresses me, like a lover who both breathes life into and takes life from me at the same time.” Harry continued to sway, putting a bit more movement from his torso into it as a group of three people who looked to be in their mid twenties dressed in Doctor Who cosplay stopped to watch. 

Harry made eye contact before saying, “The wind should be revered. The wind gives me strength and shows me love as the sunshine nourishes me and helps me grow.”

Michael, to Harry’s left, took over and the performance closed with a brief smattering of applause, some money collected in a hat, and the four who were able to make it today split it between them. 

“Not bad. You able to make it for our modern movement rebelling of Twelfth Night tomorrow? No one does a better Duke Orsino than you!” Maria asked as Harry stuffed the money into his pocket and grabbed ahold of the straps. 

“What time was that again? And can I use your phone really quick?”

Michael handed over his phone while Maria answered. “Meeting at noon at the bench where the pigeon shit lady always used to be. We thought that would be a good place to start seeing as it's near an opening to the park and we can try to lure people in with the plane wreck and begin our traveling across the park then.”

One of Harry’s main reasons he joined this experimental theater troupe was because it kept him active with his acting and remembering lines as well as causing him to constantly branch away from what he was comfortable with and really grow as an actor. They always did their best days when they did what they called modern movement at Central Park. They took a classic play, modernized it, and then combined some improv as well as constant location changing so the audience got swept up in the story and had to follow them to keep up, making them almost a part of the play themselves. It's glorious when all goes well and fun at least when it didn’t. Harry tried to make it to every one they did. 

“Yeah, I have a shift until 11 but should be able to make it I think. Duke doesn't enter until later anyway so I can for sure find you by his entrance,” he assured as he dialed Ed’s number. He walked over to the wall that was far enough away Harry didn't think they would overhear. 

The phone rang and there was no answer. He tried Niall’s as well with no luck either, so it seemed he'd be sleeping on the train tonight. Harry returned the phone to Michael, said his goodbyes and made his way towards the platform for his preferred line, the two train. 

It had been raining all day, therefore making sleeping in the alley behind the gym not so appealing. He shouldn't have an issue waking up on time on the train for his early morning shift either, or at least he hoped not. 

Harry had been working at Planet Protein for about a week now and it seemed that Cynthia wanted to make sure he stayed on the register. Apparently counting change is something that he can do better than most, so they wanted to keep him there. That and he may have misunderstood exactly how hard they had to put on the lids for the blenders when they tried having him make a shake himself and it resulted in a horrible mess. Harry preferred to think about what he did well though, so keeping him at the register for his math skills was it. 

As the train pulled up to the platform, Harry let a woman with her two young kids climb on ahead of him before getting on and grabbing onto the pole. Rush hour was definitely over, but the traffic hadn't fully calmed down on the train. He pulled out his tiny pocket planner where he kept notes of his shifts and auditions as well as meeting times and places for their experimental troupe performances and looked at his schedule. 

Tomorrow would be the first time he had an opening shift since his first day and he also hadn't seen Louis Tomlinson since then. The man’s eyes were somehow even more blue in person than they were on the screen. Prior to meeting him, Harry had been convinced they'd put blue contacts on him to enhance the color or digitally touched them up, but no. Nope, they just were that incredible and stunning and Harry had been mesmerized. 

He honestly didn't even know how he had spoken while in Louis’ presence. It was a bit of a miracle. Harry just hoped he would be able to see him again. And maybe again and again so he could get used to being in his vicinity. He wouldn't mind that at all. 

Harry closed his planner and found a seat had opened up. Upon no one taking it, he went ahead and did so and pulled out a banana from his bag. Melissa had told him he could have any fresh fruit he wanted from the shop, which consisted of strawberries and bananas now that they had rolled out the new flavor. Strawberries did not travel in a backpack well, but bananas did and Harry fucking loved bananas. 

Harry quickly ate the fruit, wrapped it back in the paper towel he had kept specifically for the peel, wrapped it up, and then tucked it safely back in his bag so he could dispose of it when he got off the train later.  He let his mind wander, and soon he was thinking of how he had gotten to New York in the first place.

He had graduated in drama from Denison University in Ohio and thankfully had gotten most of his schooling paid for with grants and scholarships so his part time position in the school’s dining hall had paid for the rest of his needs and he was debt free.

He then up and moved to New York City since his friends he had made during school, Niall and Ed, were there and figured they would be able to help him look for interviews and a place of his own.  He knew living expenses were high in the city, but he hadn’t realized exactly  _ how _ high until he had gotten here, so when Ed or Niall weren’t able to put him up then he found the train was actually quite comfortable.  He had enough saved up to pay for a monthly train pass and that took care of that.  He immediately began going to auditions which were generally fruitless, but Harry wasn’t going to give up.  He continued to go to one or two a week and sometimes he even had call backs.  

Until something worked out, he was fine with the situation he had found himself in, working part time at Planet Protein, auditions as often as possible, and the experimental theater in the meantime.  He knew he had to do his time and if he just kept working and kept doing what he could to make his presence seen in the right circles and auditions that at some point he could get his break.  Or he hoped so, anyway.

Harry dozed off earlier than planned, still dreaming of the possibilities of being on stage with a major Broadway production.

 

XXX

 

The gym was empty.  Louis liked the gym being empty.  It meant no one else had to witness the horrors Liam put him through, and they really were horrors.

The past two weeks he had Louis attending bootcamp classes, spinning classes, and extra cardio in addition to his usual yoga and personal training sessions, and honestly it was catching up to him.  He was sure he was improving somewhere, but right now Louis just felt like his body was being ripped apart every day only to come back and have it done in a different way.  Luckily, today was a later training day and it was only his personal training, no additional classes later.  Thank fuck.

Louis finished his fourth lap of the gym floor doing alternating lunges with a 15 lb weight in each hand this session and he’s going to kill Liam.  As soon as he has full use of his body again.  His legs were shaking, his breathing was coming in puffs, and his fingers were barely holding onto the weights.  The first time wasn’t so bad.  The second time around he was absolutely feeling it.  The third he was questioning his sanity.  The fourth?  The fourth and last lap had him wondering if he could get away with murdering Liam on one of the machines.  

“Great job, Lou!  That was a test of endurance for sure and you did great.  You even kept your lunges perfectly formed!”  Liam jogged up from where he had been doing who even knows what, as Louis tried to make his arms lift the weights back into their position on the shelf.  

“Sure, Li.  Whatever.  Am I done?”  Liam smacked his back causing Louis to jolt forwards in his weakened state.  

“Yeah, great finish there.  Do the same stretches I showed you yesterday, and that should be perfect.  See you tomorrow!”

Louis huffed, did his stretches and cooldown, grabbed his things from the locker, and went down to the protein shop on the main floor.  For the first time since he’d started working out at this particular gym with Liam, there wasn’t huge amounts of activity surrounding the counter.  He walked right up to the green eyed man he hadn’t been able to get out of his mind and gave him a little smirk.

“Things a little slow here today or what?” he asked, popping his hip a bit and leaning it against the counter.  The man raised his eyebrow and gave him his own coy smile.

“Well, word got around you were coming later today so they cleared out in order to give us more time to chat.”

Louis’ lips rose into a full grown smile.  The guy was flirting back, Louis could definitely be interested in this.  Nothing wrong with a bit of banter, after all.

“Is that right?  Well wasn’t that kind of them.”

Louis noticed that the other man had rather delicious dimples once his smile grew to match Louis’.  Damn, who is this guy and did the gods make him to all of Louis’ specifications?

“So what flavor will you be having today?  It looks like Liam really worked you hard and you could use the protein.”

Louis’ face went a bit slack in surprise.  “How do you know I was working with Liam?”

The man’s cheeks flushed and he bit his lip.  “He and I have gotten to talking a bit since he’s here so often and I noticed him with you last week so…” he trailed off and shrugged a little.

Louis nodded as his mind whirled.  He was used to people paying attention to him, he didn’t like to brag but his name was quite recognizable, as was his face, these days, but this was a different kind of attention.  And this kind man working the till hadn’t treated him like a celebrity, for which Louis was grateful.  

Coming back to himself, Louis figured he should probably order before someone else showed up at the counter and required attention.  

“So, I was wondering if you guys could go fancy for me and make a chocolate banana shake?”

“I definitely think Miranda can handle that,” he answered before turning to look and be sure she heard Louis.  Finally turning back to face him, the man extended his hand and said, “I should probably introduce myself.  My name is Harry.”

“Hi, Harry.  My name is Louis.”

Harry chuckled, and Louis never wanted him to stop.  “Yeah, I kinda knew that already, but it’s nice to have you tell me all the same.”

“Yeah,” Louis agreed.

“So, you have that rewards card I gave you before?”  

Right then, Miranda handed over his chocolate banana shake and Louis gave a quick thanks while grabbing his card from his wallet.  He handed it over to Harry, whose fingers brushed Louis’ and he felt that totally cliche zip of energy up his arm.  He could almost hear it, it was so strong.  As if the electricity was giving off a loud, “Zing!” to let everyone know that Louis and this gorgeous Harry, worker at the now infamous Protein Planet (or at least infamous in Louis’ mind), had touched.  Harry punched the eight slot and handed it back.  

“Almost to your free shake already,” he commented while punching Louis’ order into the machine.  Louis handed his credit card over without waiting for the total and was disappointed when their fingers didn’t brush again.  Damn, he was in too deep already.

“That’s what I get for Liam trying to kill me every day,” Louis said while rolling his eyes.  He then steeled his resolve and decided to take a chance.  After all, why not, right?  You only live once, or whatever other shit the kids say anymore.  He thinks YOLO is still the phrase, but Fizzy hasn’t been using it much lately so he could be wrong.  He blinked his focus back to Harry and asked,  “So, do you have a regular schedule or will I just have to hope that I run into you more often by chance?”

Harry smiled bigger, if that was even possible, and Louis learned he had not just one dimple, but two.  How was this guy even real?  Perfect arms, perfect hair, perfect dimples, perfect eyes?  If he even turned out to be half as nice as he seemed behind the counter, Louis could already count himself as out of his depth.

“It’s a bit random until I finish my training this week.  Then I’ll get my regular schedule, so yeah.  For now, it’ll have to be by chance.”

“To fate it is,” Louis cheered, raising his foam cup in the air before taking a sip.  “Fuck me, that’s good.  Definitely my new favorite.”

“Glad to impress,” Harry said as Louis turned to leave.

Louis popped his bum out a bit more than usual, it was the one thing he had to offer in the sweaty state he was in, before yelling over his shoulder, “You always do.”

What a great start to his day.

 

XXX

 

What a shitty end to his day. Louis was starfished on his back on the floor in the middle of his living room and he really just couldn't get out of his head. He is having a horrible time running lines because he can't focus all thanks to the fact he got in a row with his mum that afternoon over something stupid like how much he would help with the girls’ tuition. Honestly, he had more than enough money. Let him use it as he liked, even if that meant paying for things they could take care of themselves so he could help their lives be a little easier. 

Groaning out loud, Louis pulled himself up to a seated position and wrapped his arms around his knees. His limbs felt tired but not completely painful to use and it had been a while since he had gone for a nice jog. Running always helped clear his head and he could recite lines as he ran. 

Deciding this was really the only course of action to be had, Louis heaved his body off the floor and went to change into his running clothes. Once he was ready he strapped his phone to his arm and placed his headphones in his ears, then locked his door behind him. He dropped the key into the little pocket on the inside of his joggers, rode the lift down to the main floor, waved goodbye to the Apurva, the doorman, and squinted in the sunlight. 

Louis loved New York City. The feeling of anonymity could be achieved in other cities like London as well, but there was almost a constant buzzing energy that seemed to flow through the streets, lighting up anyone who grasped onto it. 

Louis walked to the nearest intersection and waited for the traffic to slow enough for him to be able to cross. Once he saw his chance, he ran across the street and entered one of his favorite parts of the city, Central Park. Whoever made the brilliant decision to leave a wooded area complete with walking paths, benches, a zoo, etc. in the middle of what would become a city of concrete deserved to be knighted posthumously. It made Louis feel like he wasn't so far from home and he could be anyone he wanted to be. 

He picked up his pace to a light jog and began running lines in his head to the scene he kept getting jumbled on while the soundtrack to Pearl Harbor played in his ears. He picked up his pace as the songs became more insistent and found that he was able to recall the lines he knew he had gotten down before but had been too frustrated to be able to remember that afternoon. Feeling pleased and out of breath Louis allowed himself to bask in the music and pushed himself even further so his lungs and legs were both burning. 

As he turned a corner in the path and cleared some trees though, he was quickly brought to a stop. He pulled his earbuds out and found the crowd he had unwittingly jogged right into were focused on the bench and grassy area to his right. 

He tried to stay quiet while he caught his breath, but his chest was heaving a bit which made it difficult for him to hear what was going on.  Suddenly Louis was left in the dust when the entire crowd started running after the two they were focused on.  It sounded like they were yelling at each other and Louis didn’t understand why everyone was following them.  The smaller person went ahead and stomped off, leaving the taller man to turn to the audience and Louis was barely able to hold back a gasp.

It was Harry.  Protein Planet Harry seemed to be putting on a performance of some kind, if the way he began a monologue about love was any indication.  As he continued, it spurred some familiarity in Louis.  

Suddenly, a woman with fiery red hair burst onto the grass and and yelled, “Orsino!  What is this I hear about a plane crash on your land?”

Orsino?  

“Shit, it’s Olivia,” Harry, or Orsino, murmured to the audience.  Putting on what was obviously a fake smile, Harry turned and they began to talk about the plane crash, but Louis honestly wasn’t paying much attention.

Harry was an actor?  It seemed he was a part of this production of Twelfth Night and he was playing Duke Orsino, which while not the main role, was rather significant.  They appeared to have modernized it and take the audience with them throughout the park.  How fascinating!  Orsino and Olivia continued their conversation while almost inviting audience input like they were there before Olivia took off and Harry pointed for the crowd to follow.  

Louis followed, but not before considering more on Harry’s curly brown hair that was hanging just lower than his shoulders.  He’d never seen it down before, it was always tied up in a high bun for work, but with it down it made him look almost majestic.  And how were his eyes even  _ more _ green?  That seemed unfair, honestly.

Louis became more and more enthralled in the play, and the way the actors found ways to ask for money for the performance while staying in character and furthering the story was amazing.  Louis was truly regretting leaving his wallet at home for his jog.

By the end, the audience had been given bubbles to blow at the happy couples as they ran off down the path, waving goodbye at the audience, who had just attended their joint wedding, and Louis was completely taken.  They had done such a fantastic job at adapting and adding an entirely new side to it as they took the audience on a physical and imaginary journey through the park as the play unfolded.  It was brilliant and incredibly well done.  

The actors came back and did a final collection while talking with some of the audience and telling them all to follow the troupe’s twitter to learn when future performances would be.  Louis made a mental note so he could also follow them, but held back so he could talk to Harry.  

Once the crowd had mostly dispersed, Louis caught Harry’s eye.  Harry’s brows rose in surprise, causing the others to turn and see who he was looking at.  Louis smiled and gave a small wave before approaching.

“You’re Louis Tomlinson,” the small woman who had played Viola said.  “Did you watch our performance?”

Louis chuckled.  “Yeah, I literally ran right into your audience about halfway through.  You did a fantastic job, I truly enjoyed what I was able to see,” he said, making sure they knew he was serious.

“Wow, thank you!  I’m Saranya, by the way.  This is Harry, Manuel, Kat, and Michael.”  

Louis nodded and waved a hello at them.  “Harry and I are already acquainted, but it’s very nice to meet the rest of you.”  The others all turned to Harry with surprise on their faces as the man turned bright red with the admission.  “I was actually hoping I could talk with Harry a bit as I make my way home?  Or I could walk with you if you’re going in another direction?”

He...had not meant to say that.  It made it sound like he was afraid to walk alone in Central Park or something.  And it’s not like he and Harry really know each other very well, why would he just invite Harry along with him when he was supposed to be exercising out his frustration?

Well, he wasn’t really frustrated anymore, was he?  He actually felt lighter than he had in awhile, and Louis decided he would just ignore that thought and hope Harry didn’t find him to be crazy.

Harry looked like he was about to choke on air in surprise but he eagerly nodded his head.  That’s a really good sign.  

“Yeah, ‘course.  Let me just grab my bag, and I’m good to go.”

Louis stood there and waited while the rest of them all grabbed their things and headed in different directions, Harry jogging back to Louis with a rucksack on his shoulders.  God, this kid needed to get behind a camera or on stage or whatever he was looking to do because he was  _ meant _ to be looked at and adored.

“So, what direction are you in?” Harry questioned, running a hand through his hair.  

Louis pointed back towards his flat and asked, “That work for you?”

Harry nodded.  “Yeah, that’s the direction my friend’s place is and I’m seeing him later, so that’s great.”

They walked in comfortable silence for a bit before Louis realized he was the one who invited Harry along so he should probably start the conversation.

“So, I probably should have guessed since you’re a hot guy working in a protein place at a gym in New York City, but I had no idea you acted.”

Chuckling a bit and rubbing the back of his neck self consciously, Harry kicked at a rock in their path.  “Yeah, pretty cliche, right?  Graduate with a drama degree, move to the city to make it big, act with a random troupe that does free performances around the city.”  He shrugged.  “I dunno though.  Cliche or not, I just really love it.  Ya know?”

Louis nodded and bit his lip because yeah, he did know.  That’s why he was where he was.  It was nice seeing it in someone else who got it, though.  “How long have you been here then?”

Harry raised his eyes as if he were thinking and the answer would be in the clouds above them.  “Mmm, just over two months now?  I’m still pretty new to the area.”

“Oh wow, I just figured you’d been here longer,” Louis said.  “Not sure why I’d made that assumption.  I guess you just seemed so natural here whenever I saw you.”  

Their conversation flowed until they made it back to Louis’ building.  

“I don’t have much that doesn’t just come from a box because I’ve not made it to the shops yet this week, but I could cook us up some dinner so we could keep chatting, if you’d like?”  Louis honestly had no idea where this was all coming from.

Giving a shy smile, a blush dusting his cheeks, Harry agreed and they walked in.

“Hey, Apurva,” Louis greeted again as they walked through the doors.

“Good run, Lewis?”  

Louis chuckled.  He’d fought with Apurva to call him by name since he came back to the city a few weeks ago and he’d only recently gotten him to agree.  The only caveat was he refused to say it with the French pronunciation, he had to do it differently.  Louis didn’t care as long as it got him to stop calling him Mr Tomlinson or Sir.

“Yeah, productive for sure.  Have a great night!”

“You too, Lewis!”

Louis and Harry remained quiet the rest of the way to the lift and the ride to Louis’ floor.  Once the door opened, he ushered Harry to his flat and let them in.  Harry walked in, neatly toed off his shoes at the entrance, and then stood and waited for instruction as he took in his surroundings.

The place wasn’t anything really special, but it was nice and open, modern but still homey feeling.  It opened right into his great room with the kitchen off to the left and the bedrooms off to the right.  Simple and all Louis needed, he loved it.

“I’ll be honest, I was expecting you to have a place a bit more intimidating than this, so I’m pleasantly surprised,” Harry said, breaking the silence.

“What?” Louis scoffed as he kicked his shoes off towards the closet before heading to the kitchen for a drink.  “Why?”

Louis could almost hear Harry’s shrug from wherever Harry had started exploring.  “Dunno.  Just did.  Must have been all those Golden Globes and Oscars you’ve won.”

“Shut up, as if awards are what makes a person a pretentious twat.  I would hate myself if I became one of those spoiled celebrities, you know?”  Louis brought a glass of water to Harry who offered a quiet thanks and took a sip.  “I dunno.  I just want to be comfortable and it doesn’t take much to achieve that when it’s just me.”

Harry nodded in understanding.  “Yeah.  Makes sense.”

Louis headed back to the kitchen to scrounge around and see what he had to offer in the way of food.  After banging through his pantry and fridge, Louis called out, “Okay, so you have the choice of pasta surprise or goulash.  Do you have a preference?”

“Isn’t goulash just a fancy name for pasta surprise?” Harry laughed, coming closer to the kitchen.

“Yeah, but sometimes people prefer one name over the other, Harold.”  Louis pulled a pot out from it’s place and set it on the hob.  “So, you okay with some goulash surprise?”

“Sure, but let me help.”  

Over the next half an hour they browned meat, chopped onions, opened cans, and seasoned their random mix that would become dinner in a somehow synchronized dance.  Louis was honestly amazed at how easily they communicated what was needed and worked in each other’s space.  The kitchen was quite small in order to leave more space for the rest of the flat, so the tiny bench and hob left them quite in each other’s business, but neither seemed to mind.  In such a short time they had found trust and that was a nice thing for Louis.

The evening went much quicker than Louis anticipated, and soon it was nearing ten.  

“Shit!  Where did the time go?” Harry exclaimed upon checking his watch.  “Do you mind if I use your phone?  I was supposed to meet my friend already.”

“Sure,” Louis handed the phone over to Harry.  He gave another word of thanks before hopping up and dialling a number and holding the phone to his face as he paced along the wall on the other side of the room inspecting the photos Louis had hung there.  They weren’t anything fancy, just snapshots of his family and friends to remind him of home and where he really belonged, but Harry seemed to find one in particular interesting.

“Hey, Ed.  It’s me,” Harry rumbled.  Shit, Louis really didn’t think he would ever get tired of listening to his voice.  “Yeah, I’m so sorry.  Got caught up hanging with a friend and didn’t even realize the time.  Is it too late to come over?”  Louis busied himself and tried not to eavesdrop, but it was hard when Harry was no more than ten feet away.  

Plus Louis may have a desire to have Harry’s plans fall through so they could spend more time together.  

“No, no.  That’s totally fine.  You know how much I appreciate it when you’re able to.  Does tomorrow still work as long as I’m able to make it before 8?”  Harry listened a bit more before saying, “Awesome.  Thanks so much, bro.  See ya then.  Bye.”

“Plans fall through?”

Harry handed the phone back and nodded.  Louis tried not to let his relief and excitement show on his face.

“Yeah, he’s at work now so I missed my window, but that’s okay.”  Louis studied Harry’s face, but found it didn’t tell him much.  Louis was hoping to learn as to whether he was disappointed or okay with this change in plans, but it seemed that he was just deep in thought rather than emotional over the development.

“Well, might you be interested in a movie?”  Louis was getting shameless now, but if he could convince Harry some cuddles during a film was a good idea, then he would definitely take what he could get.

At the question Harry’s forehead smoothed out and a smile slowly grew on his face.

“Yeah, okay.  That sounds good,” he agreed before settling down next to Louis where he had been before.  Louis happily grabbed the remote and turned on the flatscreen mounted on the wall before beginning.

“So I’ve got Netflix, Amazon Prime, and cable so pretty much anything you wanna watch.  What are you in the mood for?”

“What?  No flipping through disks in a massive book or looking through shelves of cases?” Harry cried in outrage.  Louis thought he was kidding at first, but it seemed he was serious about it.  “That takes away half of the fun, Lou.  Digital is not nearly as much fun!”

Louis chuckled.  “Sorry to disappoint, mate, but I don’t bring my entire film collection with me everywhere I go.  Those stay in London.”

Harry gave a dramatic sigh before saying, “Fine, geez!”  They both laughed for a bit before Harry finally said, “Okay, I’m horrible at making choices.  Can’t you at least narrow it down to three and let me choose from there or something?”

Louis smiled, probably a bit too fondly, and then pulled up Netflix.  “So we could go for a classic like Dirty Dancing, we could go a bit more contemporary like Imitation Game, or we could go for Grease Live, your choice!”

“Oh my God, Grease Live!  I wasn’t able to watch it when it was on and no one else will watch it with me!  Please let’s do that one!”  Harry was bouncing in his seat like a child and clapping his hands, all over Louis’ favorite musical of all time.  Was this man actually made just for Louis?  He was beginning to wonder.

“We can absolutely do Grease Live, but I’m going to need you to sing along to all of the songs,” Louis agreed easily.  He keyed over to the right option and got it going as Harry wiggled in his seat in excitement.

“Only if I can be Sandy.  I totally rock Sandy’s parts.”

Louis stared at Harry’s profile in silence until he turned and looked at Louis in confusion.  

“Marry me?” Louis blurted out, and.  Well.  Not what he expected, but he could play it off.  Probably.  Maybe.

Harry, for his part, just burst out laughing.  “You’ll have to win me over, Danny.  I’m not that kinda girl!  To say yes to the first man to make her dinner and propose, what do you take me for?”

Louis laughed heartily and felt like everything was just...right.  He wanted to keep Harry here right by his side always.  That thought was a bit disconcerting considering this was the first time they had spent any time together outside of Harry’s place of work, but he wasn’t willing to delve too far into his emotions about that just yet.  He settled back, and got ready to sing along to Danny’s parts to compliment Harry’s Sandy.

 

XXX

 

Harry woke up the next morning to some banging in the kitchen, and it took him a minute to figure out where he was.  He looked and found a light blanket covering him from the waist down and his glass from the night before still sat on the coffee table.  He must have fallen asleep during Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which they had decided to watch after Grease Live finished.  Such a bummer, those brothers weren’t all bad looking.

Harry slowly sat up and stretched.  This couch was far superior to Ed or Niall’s lumpy hand me downs and definitely better than the cardboard box behind the gym.  It was nice to get a good quality sleep in for once.

“Oh, you’re awake!  Sorry if my noise woke you.  Was getting hungry, so thought I’d make us some brekkie,” Louis called from the kitchen.  

Harry turned, ruffled his hair a bit with his fingers, and gave a small smile.  “You’re fine, probably time for me to wake up anyway.”  He checked his watch, and he was so glad he didn’t have to work until 4, because it was much later than he usually slept.  “Do you mind if I use your shower while I’m here?”

“Sure,” Louis said.  “Breakfast is almost done, though.  Wanna wait until after you’ve eaten?”

Harry stood at that and rearranged his shirt that had gotten twisted and ridden up during the night.  By the time he’d gotten it fixed, he looked up and found Louis frozen and staring at where just a moment before some of Harry’s stomach had been bared.  Harry bit his lip and felt a shiver of excitement go up his spine.  He’d guessed that Louis may be somewhat attracted to him before, but after the cuddles during the movies last night and definitely with the way he had completely lost track of himself over a sliver of skin Harry was quite sure their feelings were mutual.  

“You made me some too?” he asked, surprised.  He was used to Ed or Niall considering him just another roommate who would take care of himself.  Outside of his mom, he’s not sure he’s ever had anyone, not even a boyfriend, make breakfast for him.  That responsibility was usually his, so this was...special.  “You didn’t have to,” he whispered.

“Of course I made some for you too, what kind of host would I be if I made you sleep on the couch and left you starving?”  Louis had pulled himself together in the time it took Harry to verbalize his surprise and was plating their food.  “I don’t know what you like, though, so I hope cheesy scrambled eggs and bacon with toast is okay with you?”

Harry thought he might cry.  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten a breakfast so decadent.  He usually stuck with his hash brown from McDonalds or a protein shake from work.

“Uh, yeah.  That’s, uh, perfect really,” he finally spit out.  That made Louis’ entire face light up as he set their breakfast on the table.  

“Would you prefer some coffee or orange juice?”  Harry looked at everything sitting in front of him and after the goulash they’d had last night, he hoped his body didn’t rebel.  It wasn’t often he had quite this much food to eat.  

Thinking a little more, he thought it might be best to go safe with his beverage.  “Can I just have a glass of water?”

“Sure,” Louis agreed, quickly going and grabbing a bottle from the fridge.  Soon enough they were settled and digging in.

As soon as the eggs his his mouth, Harry knew he was done for.  “Okay, you swear these are just eggs and cheese?” he clarified between bites.  After swallowing he continued, “Because this shit is way better than what I’ve ever had.”

Louis blushed and shrugged.  “Just add some milk to the eggs to make them a bit more fluffy and cook them in a bit of coconut oil and there you have it.”

“Are you good at everything you do?” Harry asked.  Louis laughed, but Harry pointed his fork at him.  “I’m being serious right now.  You’re giving me a bit of a complex!  I’m sitting across the table from the man who is arguably the best actor to come out of Great Britain in decades, according to Liam there’s nothing he can throw at you in the gym that you can’t do, and you can cook on top of all of it?”  Harry fell back in his seat and shook his head.  “It’s just not fair, man.”

After a minute, Louis spoke up.  “I’m shit at baking.”

“Sorry?” Harry chuckled.

“I can’t bake for my life.  Cooking is interesting to me and it keeps me actively involved.  Baking requires remembering to set the timer and remembering to listen to the timer and sometimes letting this rise or chill in the fridge blah blah blah.  I get too distracted.  I somehow manage to ruin everything aside from the occasional batch of biscuits.  So there you go.  At least one thing I’m bad at.”

Harry smiled softly.  “I’m sure there’s more,” he teased.

Louis snorted.  “Of course there’s more, but I’m still trying to impress you.  I’m not going to list all of my flaws and scare you away.  I need to win you over first!”

Blushing and running his finger over the wood grain of the table, Harry looked up through his lashes.  “Color me impressed, Lou.”

With a beaming smile, Louis leaned forward.  “Good.  So, does that mean you’ll go on a date with me tonight?”

Harry grimaced.  “Can’t tonight.  Have to work.  I could tomorrow?”  

Louis nodded in agreement and lazily hooked his foot around Harry’s ankle as he leaned back to focus on his food once more.  “Okay.  It’s a date.”

 

XXX

 

Harry kept his eyes closed as he tried to get a little more sleep before he would have to go through his usual routine at the McDonalds across the street.  He was afraid they were starting to catch on and he would have to vary his routine a little, but so far no one had said anything so he figured he was safe.  

He realized there would be no more sleep to be had when he remembered he would be going on a date with Louis that night though.  Harry’s heart began to race in excitement and a smile grew a bit before he could stop himself.  He pulled his body into a sitting position and mourned the fact he couldn’t sleep on Louis’ amazing couch every night.  It was definitely superior to the alleyway.

He pulled his hair down from the bun it was held in overnight and shook his head so his messy curls framed his face.  He lazily ran a hand through them to undo some of the knots that had gathered while he checked his watch.  Despite going to bed later than usual thanks to his closing shift for Planet Protein last night, he had woken earlier than he needed for the opening shift, so he could take his time today, which was nice.

Harry sat himself with his legs crossed and closed his eyes while he used both hands to massage his scalp.  

He was just pulling his hair back up into a bun when he heard an all too familiar voice say, “Harry?”

Harry froze and squeezed his eyes shut even tighter.  Fuck fuck fuck, what the hell was Louis doing here so early and behind the gym and why?  Biting his bottom lip hard, Harry finally opened his eyes and turned to where he’d heard the voice coming from.  Louis Tomlinson was standing there looking confused.

“What...uhm, did you sleep here?”  Harry couldn’t help but hold his eye contact, despite the worry he could see in those clear blue eyes.  Licking his lips, he steeled himself knowing there was no way he could lie about it at this point, and he nodded his head.

Louis’ mouth opened then closed a couple of times as Harry watched him trying to figure out what to say.  Harry finished tying up his hair, rose from the cardboard, pulled his backpack on his shoulders, and took care in putting his cardboard back where he always kept it wrapped carefully.  Louis still hadn’t said a word, but he also hadn’t left, so Harry hoped that was a good sign.  At this point he honestly didn’t know what sort of a reaction he was expecting.

“What time does your shift start?”  That wasn’t the next question Harry expected, but he was able to recover quickly.

“Uh, 6:30.”

Louis checked his phone before saying, “We have enough time to go to the cafe around the corner for a warm breakfast.  Care to join?”

Blinking in confusion, Harry just searched his face.  “Why?”

Louis looked at him in surprise.  “Well, in case you missed it yesterday, I am kind of interested in you, but I think there are a few things we could stand to talk about, yeah?”  Louis gave him a soft smile.  “This doesn’t change anything for me, Haz, I just want to know a bit more about the situation.  If you’re willing to talk about it.”  

He continued to peer at Harry with concern and affection flooding from his face.  It certainly wasn’t the disgust Harry was expecting, or the anger at the potential of being used he feared.  Harry just...he felt his shoulders fall with relief and he smiled a bit in return.

“Yeah, I guess that’s okay as long as I’m back in time for my shift.”

Louis nodded.  “Definitely.  Let me just run in and let Liam know I’ll be a bit later than expected and then we can be off.”

They walked side by side around to the front of the gym and Harry watched as Louis jogged inside.  As soon as he was out of sight, Harry spun around to face the street and try to pull his thoughts together.  

He began to pace back and forth in front of the door as his mind whirled.  Would Louis think he’s a charity case?  Did he think...what did he think?  Harry didn't have a clue and he couldn't until they talked.  In a way he’s more nervous that Louis wanted to talk it out now rather than waiting, but ultimately Harry was so grateful that Louis wanted to take care of it now.  Harry might actually be able to work his shift without being in a different world if they talked it out over breakfast.

Harry’s stomach was starting to clench with anxiety when Louis came bounding out of the doors again.  “Alright, H.  Let’s get breakfast, shall we?”  Louis held his hand out to Harry, and after staring at it for a second, looked up questioningly into his eyes.  “I mean, you can hold it if you want, but I just wanted you to come and walk up beside me for starters.”

Harry nodded his head and gave a weak smile before walking up beside Louis, but kept his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets.  Louis kept his hand gently on the small of Harry’s back though, and Harry wasn’t complaining.  He was a bit worried he smelled like garbage though.

“Really quickly, and this might be silly, but do I smell?”  He’d tried to check earlier but he couldn’t tell.  He usually washed up in the bathroom to make sure he didn’t before work, but he wasn’t sure if that would be possible where they were going.

They paused their walking down the street, the sky starting to lighten more casting a warm glow to them.  Louis leaned in so he was sniffing at Harry’s neck, and shit.  He hadn’t been prepared for that.  Louis’ nose trailed down his shoulder before giving a light kiss and looking up at Harry warmly.

“You smell like Harry,” he confirmed before turning to continue walking.  “Which I think is fine, though a new application of deodorant may be best before work.”

Harry laughed and smiled looser than he had since he realized Louis had caught him in the alley.  “Yeah, probably.”

“There it is,” Louis smiled, poking at Harry’s cheek where Harry knew his dimple was.  “I was hoping that would return again.”  

They walked into the cafe and as Harry had imagined, it was mostly empty.  It wouldn’t be that way for long, but he suspected they’d be gone by the time the big morning rush began.

Once they’d taken a seat in a booth set a bit out of the way, the two of them studied the menus and kept rather quiet until the server had taken their orders and left them with full mugs of coffee.

“So,” Louis began as he added creamer and sugar to his mug and Harry drank his straight.  “You obviously don’t owe me anything, but if you are willing I am curious as to whether what I caught you doing this morning. It looked a lot like sleeping behind your place of employment, happens often and if so, then why?”  

Harry worried his lip a bit and studied Louis’ face.  It held no signs of condescension or judgement, only curiosity and worry.  The last thing Harry wanted was Louis worrying about him, so he eventually decided maybe he was one of the few who could know.

“I’m not telling you this so you feel sorry for me, you know?”  Harry made sure he had Louis’ full attention before he continued.  “I’ve still got it better than a lot of people and this is only temporary, so I don’t need your pity and I’m not looking for any handouts.  I want to make sure you understand that before I continue.”

Louis nodded and slowly sipped his coffee.

“Okay.”  Harry took a deep breath, scratched at his bun, and looked down at the table.  He found it wasn’t as hard to actually say the words if he wasn’t looking at Louis.  “It’s expensive in the city and hard to find a decent paying job, especially one that still allows you flexibility to attend auditions.”  Harry tried to figure out the best way to word the next part while taking another drink of his coffee.  He hoped the dark roast would also fortify his courage in talking to Louis, but so far it was only working to help him feel less jittery.  He would count it as a win.

“My mom and her husband are hard workers, but they’ve come on hard times.  Layoffs happened and at their age it’s hard to find replacement work that still covers the bills they have because not as many people want to hire them and pay them the kind of wages they are used to.  I also knew if I didn’t allow myself a real shot at getting on stage, I would always regret it.  So I saved the best I could while on scholarship in college and moved out here, but without a steady job, or any job for awhile, it’s hard to find a place to live.”

Louis’ eyes never left Harry, he could feel his gaze burning into his skin, but he still couldn’t look up.  Louis gave a soft sound of understanding, and Harry continued.

“I have a couple friends from college who live here, Ed and Niall.  They know about the situation, but due to lease agreements that are rather detailed about visitors as well as roommates, I can only stay with them every so often which leaves me with some nights without a couch to sleep on.  Usually I’ll sleep on the subway, but on the days where I have opening shift, if I’m not staying with one of them and the weather is nice, yeah, I sleep behind the gym.”

Harry shrugged.  “That’s about it really.  My savings are dwindling pretty low, but I’ll be getting my first paycheck in a week so I’m hoping to save up enough over time to be able to start paying rent for at least a small shared room somewhere and go from there.”

For the first time since he started talking, Harry looked up at Louis and found him with pursed lips, staring off at one of the many decorative clocks on the wall.  

“How, uhm,” Louis began, before pausing and seeming to back up.  “Is it very often that you end up sleeping outdoors?”

Harry found himself shrugging again.  He really should find something else to do than just respond like that, because he was getting tired of it.  “Not sure what often is.  Once or twice a week, usually.”

“And, sorry if this is prying, I’m just trying to get a feel for your situation, are you keeping yourself well fed?”  At this, Harry saw even more worry flood into Louis’ eyes.  

“I mean, I am able to eat, yeah,” Harry slowly said.  “Not a lot always, but definitely enough to keep from starving and that’s enough for now.”

Louis shook his head and looked back at the wall.  They continued quietly pondering what had been said while drinking their coffee until their respective breakfasts showed up.  Once Louis had eaten around half of his egg white omelette and cubed fruit he looked up at Harry with resolve in his eyes.

“You might not like what I have to say, but please promise you will hear me out.”

Harry narrowed his eyes, but warily said, “Okaaaay…”

“I know you don’t want to be a charity case, but I would like to offer you a…” Louis paused as he tried to come up with the right word.  “A somewhat generous offer, I’ll call it.”  

“A generous offer?” Harry repeated, still chewing his breakfast sausage.  “Like what?”

“You move in and become my roommate.  It won’t be completely free, it would work on a sort of payment plan where you pay a percentage of your paycheck for your keep.”

Tilting his head, Harry considered this.  “I wouldn’t be able to give much at first.  And you know little to nothing about me yet.  You’re seriously willing to offer this kind of a situation to a virtual stranger?  I could be a serial killer!”

Louis rolled his eyes.  “ _ Are _ you a serial killer?”

Harry snorted a bit at the idea.  “No, but a serial killer would say that anyway.”

“Harry,” Louis said, amusement lighting his eyes.  Damn, his eyes really were gorgeous.  “You could have killed me easily at any point this morning as well as the other night at my flat, but you didn’t.  You sang Sandy’s part in Grease and talked about how much you admire Millie in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers because she had to have been so strong to go and live with all those brothers without giving up on how she wanted it to be.”  Louis smiled warmly and reached his hand out to wrap around Harry’s while Harry just focused on not turning entirely pink.  “I might not know you entirely, but I think I’m fairly good at reading people, and you are not someone to fear.  Not in the way you mean, anyway.”

Turning his hand over so they could trace their fingers over each other’s palms and wrists, Harry watched Louis’ smaller hand move inside of his.  “You think I’m someone to fear in other ways?”

Louis nodded very solemnly.  “Yeah, you’re pretty incredible.  You scare me almost everytime I’m with you in the very best of ways.”

“You’re quite the sap, aren’t you?”

Louis chuckled lightly before popping another piece of melon in his mouth.  “You have no idea.  I’m the worst.”

They both laughed and Harry felt fully relaxed sitting there, holding hands and eating the cold remains of his breakfast.  

“Can I think about your offer and let you know my decision tonight?”

Louis smiled.  “Yeah.  You can tell me on our date.”

Harry paused, caught a bit off guard.  “This isn’t replacing our date?  I figured this was the stand in for tonight’s original plans.”

“You are not getting out of it that easily!” Louis said, feigning outrage at the idea.  “This was a necessary discussion that happened to take place over breakfast.  No wooing involved.  Tonight, however, will be complete with romance and sweeping you off your feet as you deserve.”

“Yeah, okay.  Tonight.”

“Perfect.”

 

XXX

 

Louis finished setting the table and was about to light the candles when he heard Harry knock on the door.  Earlier, Apurva had looked at Louis with a smug grin when Louis had told him Harry would be coming over again and to let him in without having to call up.  So what if he rarely had visitors and now for the second time in a matter of days the same man was returning?  

Louis straightened his burnt orange jumper as he went to get the door, opened it and found Harry...not dressed as Louis expected to see him.  He was still wearing the same pair of black skinny jeans, but he was wearing a crisp white button down that seems a bit tight for him in the shoulders and a tad loose around his midsection, but it didn’t really matter because the way he had it left enough unbuttoned for Louis to see his gorgeous chest had Louis practically drooling.

“My eyes are up here, you know?” Harry quipped, and Louis struggled to swallow his spit.  When he finally was able to raise his eyes from the smooth skin on display, he found Harry with a gleeful sparkle to his eyes and dimples on full display.  “Glad to know my outfit choice was so well made, though.”

Louis pursed his lips before chuckling.  “Sorry, I just...I’m used to you in tee shirts and your work uniform.  You look fantastic on a normal day, so showing up tonight like this just...caught me off guard, that’s all.”  He reached up and touched Harry’s hair before pulling back once he realized what he’d done.  “Sorry!  Just never seen it look so silky before.”

“I actually quite like having it played with, so feel free.” 

Louis took another step closer and kept eye contact with Harry as he reached up and brushed his fingers gently through his silky strands.  Harry tilted his head to lean into Louis’ touch, and it was then Louis remembered dinner was still cooking in the kitchen. 

“I've got to go finish dinner, but make yourself at home.” 

Harry nodded and Louis walked back towards the kitchen. He found the green beans were cooked to perfection, so he drained them before tossing them into the waiting skillet. He quickly stir fried them with some garlic and checked the temperature of the homemade mash to ensure everything was as it should be. He was so focused on making sure the beans and potatoes looked nice on the plates that he didn't realize Harry had rounded the corner until he spoke. 

“You went all out tonight,” Harry said softly, almost like he was afraid to break the spell of Louis’ concentration. 

Louis tossed a smile over his shoulder before setting the pan back down on the hob and pulling the chicken out of the oven. 

“I told you, I'm on a mission to woo and impress. I hope it's working at least a little already.”  Louis set the pan down and hummed in approval at the main course. It was his first time trying this particular dish, but it looked to have turned out okay. 

“It's definitely working,” Harry replied after clearing his throat. If Louis wasn't mistaken, his voice was a touch lower than it had been previously. “Watching you prepare food is almost worryingly hot.”

Louis laughed loudly before focusing on transferring the rest of their meal onto the plates all in one piece. Once he was done, he turned to Harry, and found his eyes quickly dart up to his face. 

“Oi! You give me attitude for staring at your chest, and then you go and do the same with my bum?” Louis teased. He cocked a hip before saying, “That's the difference between you and me. I certainly don't mind if you look.” He turned to grab their meal and gave a silly wiggle of his hips. 

Harry huffed a laugh before following Louis to the table. Louis set down the plates and then pulled a chair out for Harry before gesturing to it.  

“Are you being serious right now?” Harry questioned.  He looked almost like he was torn between making fun of Louis for being so over the top and utterly pleased.  Louis hoped he would end towards the latter, because he didn’t remember the last time he was as attracted to someone as a whole as he was to Harry and it would be a bit embarrassing if he was the only one feeling the way he was about this.

Keeping eye contact with Harry and standing behind the chair still, Louis felt his cheeks pinken.  He couldn’t help it really.  He had this incredible man in front of him and Louis was putting as much of himself out there as he could.  It was partly a thank you for sharing everything he had that morning, but also hopefully as a way of showing that Louis was worth taking a chance on.  Louis bit his lip, swiped his fringe across his forehead, and nodded.

Harry’s face broke out into a wide grin, which he immediately tried to make smaller, but it didn’t really work.  Louis’ entire body warmed just seeing those dimples get deeper than he even knew they could.  Harry walked over to the chair, and lowered himself as Louis scooted it toward the table.

As Louis took his own seat, he realized he still hadn’t lit the candles.  

“I was going to light those as well, but I’m honestly starving.  You okay with just having them set there for ambiance?”

Harry smirked before spearing a few of the green beans with his fork.  “Sounds great, Lou.”

Louis looked down to his plate and tried to remain unphased by the nickname.  Harry had used it before, but there was something about the setting and knowing they were on a date, in Louis’ flat, wearing fancy clothes, that just made everything, every touch, look, and word, that much more intimate.  They quietly ate their dinner until they were both so full they couldn’t eat another bite.

“You have to share your secret.  What was that chicken dish?”  Harry was leaned back in his chair with his hips jutted forward in an attempt to make more room for what he was calling his food baby.  Louis took the opportunity to wrap his feet around Harry’s ankle. 

“It sounds more complicated than it actually is,” Louis said, grinning as Harry added his other foot to the mess of limbs beneath the table.  “It’s just chicken stuffed with mozzarella wrapped in parma ham.”

If possible, it seemed that Harry’s eyes glowed an even brighter green than before.  “You’re pretty amazing, you know that?”

“Don’t go thinking this is over already!  I still have more waiting for you.”

Harry’s eyebrows rose even further.  “What, are you going to torch some creme brulee right here or something?”

Louis laughed before hauling himself up and grabbing his dirty dishes to take to the kitchen.  Before Louis could grab his, Harry had followed suit and was already headed to the sink.

“Uh, no.  Was going to stay simple for dessert and got some ice cream.  Thought we could curl up and watch a film together?”

Harry set his plate in the sink and then turned around, leaned his bum against the bench, gently grabbed Louis’ wrists and guided him forward.  Louis took cautious steps into Harry’s space, never once letting his eyes leave Harry’s.  Harry took the dishes in Louis’ hands, placed them behind him, then placed his hands gently on Louis’ hips.

“This okay?” he checked, brows furrowing a bit in worry.  Louis took one last small step forward so his chest was flush to Harry’s, his feet between Harry’s wide stance.  He lifted his right hand to massage the wrinkles from Harry’s forehead before sliding his left hand up Harry’s arm and linking his hands behind Harry’s neck.

“Definitely.  More than okay.”

Harry nodded and leaned his forehead against Louis’.  The air was so charged, Louis could practically taste it when Harry whispered a simple request. 

“Kiss me?”

Louis didn’t hesitate as he tilted his head forward so their lips could finally meet, just as he had been hoping to do ever since they had met.  Harry’s lips were just as plush and soft as Louis had imagined, but the way he could use them was even better than Louis had hoped.  It was like he knew exactly how to move them and how much to give versus how much to receive to make it the perfect kiss for Louis.

Harry pulled Louis in even further so Louis had a hard time telling where he ended and Harry started.  Louis’ hands made their way up into Harry’s hair and soon Louis felt Harry’s hand slip up inside his jumper.  His warm hand spread almost entirely across Louis’ back and it felt perfect.  Louis didn’t often feel small, but right now he did.  He felt small and taken care of but also incredibly powerful, like Harry’s kisses and his skin on Louis’ gave him a special strength of sorts.

They parted to catch their breath, but one of Harry’s hands wandered even lower and gently cupped Louis’ bum.

“I’ve wanted to do that for ages,” he admitted.

Louis leaned his head onto Harry’s shoulder and gave a soft laugh while breathing in Harry’s subtle scent.  Louis loved the way he smelled right there behind his ear.  

“Are you talking about kissing me or touching my arse?” Louis asked.

“Why does it have to be one or the other?” Harry responded, squeezing the cheek that somehow fit perfectly in his hand.  Louis dropped a quick kiss on Harry’s neck before pulling back and taking in Harry’s flushed face, complete with kiss swollen lips.  Fuck.  How was it possible for him to be even more beautiful now than he already was?

“Stay?” Louis whispered, feeling vulnerable.  He didn’t want Harry to feel like he had to or needed to, but God.  Louis felt an intense need to have Harry naked and in his bed with him right that moment.  “Won’t you stay to the morning?  With me?”

He searched Harry’s eyes that seemed to contain galaxies with how much they expressed.  Harry quickly lunged forward and pulled Louis into a kiss even more passionate than the one they had just finished, his hand now no longer simply cupping his arse, but moving to allow his finger to trace down the seam of his trousers and putting pressure right where he knew Louis wanted it most. 

“Fuck,” Louis whined.  “Is that a yes?”

“We still have a lot we need to talk about,” Harry reminded him before biting on Louis’ collarbone.

Louis couldn’t even help it, his hips bucked of their own accord and that movement made it even more obvious that they both were in a similar state of arousal.  

“Shit, I promise we will talk, but would you mind if we maybe did so in an hour or two?  After we’ve gotten naked and had some, I’m just guessing here, but I think it’ll be incredibly hot sex?  Would that be okay?”  Louis was panting by the end of his question.  

“Yeah, that plan sounds great.  I’ll follow you,” Harry said, only loosening his hold enough so Louis could turn himself around in his arms in order to have Harry latched to his back instead of his front.  

Louis’ knees were going a bit weak thanks to the way Harry was nibbling at the spot right behind Louis’ jaw.  His neck always had been a sensitive area for him, but the way Harry was working that particular area over had Louis vibrating with need to get to his bed as soon as physically possible.

Luckily, his flat wasn’t too large, so they made it to his room before Harry made his legs completely give out.  Louis pulled away and stripped his jumper off before turning to Harry.  He was about to instruct him to do the same, but somehow he had already gotten himself down to his pants.

“Efficient,” Louis commented, unbuttoning his own jeans as he tried to catch up.  “I’m impressed, honestly.”

Harry then looped his thumb inside the elastic of his pants and dragged them lower ridiculously slower.  Louis tried to swallow, but he found his mouth had gone incredibly dry.  He blinked and forced his jeans and pants down in one go and worked on stepping out of them while admiring Harry’s body.  

He was perhaps a bit thin, but his body was still utterly perfect.  He had tattoos littering his skin, and he was pure, lithe muscle.  Louis felt a bit self conscious of his curves, but not enough to hide.  If Harry’s rather impressive boner that was still hidden by the cloth of his boxers was anything to go by, Harry certainly didn’t mind.  

Louis placed his hands on his hips and shifted his weight so he was showing his best angles before he said, “Are you going to be a tease all night or are you going to take those off and get on the bed so we can get this started?”

Harry dropped the smirk and quickly removed the last piece of clothing before jumping on the bed.

“Christ, you’ve got quite a nice dick, haven’t you?” Louis whispered to himself as he gathered the lube and condom.  It had been quite some time since he had been with another man like this, but Harry truly was blessed. His dick was not overly large, but a proud length with just enough girth that Louis knew he would have to ensure he prepped himself well.  At least if Harry was into that, he would.  

“What was that?” Harry asked as he slowly wanked himself while watching Louis’ every move. 

Louis dropped the condom on the bed beside Harry, keeping the lube in hand, and crawled up beside him. He leaned forward and gave him a filthy kiss before pulling back and saying, “I have an idea, but it all depends on you. What do you want?”

“Anything,” Harry breathed. “Everything. Whatever you want is fine by me.”

Louis smirked, getting more excited by the moment. “Perfect. You're going to watch me prep myself and you can only touch yourself. Then, I'm going to ride you. You good with that?”

“Holy fucking shit, you're trying to kill me,” Harry said, eyes wide with wonder. 

“What a way to go,” Louis teased before getting himself into position. 

He eventually decided it would be best to lay on his back and have Harry sitting so he could see easiest while Louis got himself ready. He got the lube on his fingers nice and warmed up before closing the lube but keeping it close by in case he needed more. 

Louis then let his left hand tweak his nipples the way he liked so much and he knew he had to make this fast. Yes, he wanted to put on a good show for Harry, but he also really needed to sit on his dick. Louis quickly worked himself from one to two then three fingers, practically devouring the sounds Harry was making while watching. 

“Do you even realize?” Harry choked out while Louis scissored one last time to ensure he was ready to take Harry's fairly large cock. “You're so sexy, so fucking hot, and I'm able to be here with you like this.”

“Babe, you have no idea. Now lay back and put on that condom.”  Louis didn't usually like getting bossy during sex, but damnit. The words were nice and all, but he really needed that dick inside of him like ten minutes ago. 

Harry quickly did as Louis requested. Once he had straddled Harry’s legs, he lubed up Harry's dick and enjoyed the feel of it in his hand. Shit, he was really going to enjoy getting to know Harry and his entire body better. 

He then crawled his way into position, offered a kiss, then lifted himself up. He reached behind him to hold Harry’s dick in place as he slowly lowered himself onto it. He eased his way down and only once he had Harry's massive cock fully nestled within him did he allow himself to breathe. 

“Shit, Lou, I'm not gonna last long,” Harry panted as he gripped Louis’ waist. 

“That's okay baby, neither am I,” Louis soothed. Once he felt he was adjusted enough, he slowly began rocking his hips. 

“Fucking hell,” Harry groaned. 

Louis didn't even say anything, he just leaned forward to take some of the pressure off his legs and placed his hands just above Harry's shoulders. He leaned in and captured Harry's sinful lips on a kiss, licking and biting his lips as he slowly worked up a rhythm. 

Harry smoothed his hands from Louis’ hips and over to his bum, kneading the flesh and making the sensations between the two of them even more significant. 

Louis could feel his own cock working itself on the ridges of Harry's abs, and it was just subtle enough to get him more and more worked up as Louis began to really work himself on Harry. 

“Lou, I'm close,” Harry warned with a whimper. 

Louis could feel the shake in Harry's hands as he continued his ministrations on Louis’ ass, but he wasn't quite ready yet. 

“Can you hold off, for just a minute?” Louis asked, pausing several times to whine or huff out a breath as Harry's dick continued to find new and amazing ways to pleasure Louis. “I'm almost there, just a little longer…”

Louis drifted off and his hips began to stutter as he got closer to where he needed to be. Tingles began to fan over his entire body and it was like he didn't have control over how his toes curled or his hands clutched at the sheets. 

Right as Louis was about to tell Harry he could go, the man had reached between them and given a quick tug of Louis’ cock making Louis come with a shout of surprise, both at the touch and the orgasm ripping through him so forcefully. 

Harry let out a prolonged high pitched whine as his own hips stuttered and he reached his own apex. It was then Louis’ elbows gave out and he collapsed on Harry's chest. 

“Fuck, love. That was…” Louis again left his statement unfinished and Harry chuckled before attempting to finish it for him. 

“Life changing? Mind blowing? The hardest you've ever come? Because yeah, same, babe.”

“Yeah, basically.”  Louis rolled off him and threw one arm over his head while the other searched for Harry's. Once it was found, their fingers laced together and Louis turned his head to see Harry was already watching him. “What do you think about a shower and then cuddles until we both head to the gym bright and early?”

Harry leaned over for a quick kiss before saying, “Sounds perfect.”

 

XXX

 

Harry woke up to U2 singing  _ Where the Streets Have No Name _ .  Before he could wake up enough to fully form any questions in his mind, an arm tightened around his waist and he relaxed back into the warmth behind him that he had come to know so well over the past few years.

They had worked so hard to get through the circumstances that could have brought so many issues when they first met.  It wasn’t perfect, but they had done their best to ensure Harry didn’t feel like he had to stay with Louis if he didn’t want to or like he owed Louis anything.  They also came up with basic but fluid rules of things they were and were not comfortable with, when it came to gifts and expectations for their relationship, and now four years later they were still going strong.

Harry still wasn’t a star, but he was okay with that.  He had been able to build a name for himself in the off Broadway community that ensured he at least had a job doing what he loved when he wanted it, and he had high hopes of one day breaking through and finding the show that was perfect for him to really build his profile.

Louis was still as sought after as ever.  His first action film was a massive hit and he would be filming the sequel next year, once he had a break in his filming schedule long enough to allow him to fit it in.

Louis nuzzled his head into his favorite spot, the juncture of Harry’s neck and shoulder before taking a deep breath and saying, “Morning.”

Harry smiled softly and squeezed Louis’ hand.  It was brighter out than he had expected it to be considering Louis was still there.  He was due to be on location for his next film tomorrow.

“Morning.  I thought you had to leave a few hours ago?”

Louis nodded while yawning into Harry’s neck.  “I was supposed to, but when you fell asleep on me around 3 last night, this morning, whatever, I texted Janice and asked her to switch my flight to this afternoon.  You know how I love our conversations best in the morning.  Besides, I wanted to be able to actually say goodbye and have you remember it instead of snoring at me in response.”

Harry hummed his understanding and rolled around to face his husband with a wide smile on his face.  “Love you.”

Louis’ eyes crinkled and he gave Harry a soft peck on the lips before saying back, “That’s good, because I love you too.”

Yeah, things weren’t perfect, but Harry figured this might be the closest he could get and he was quite okay with that.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. [Here's](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/153927544368/wont-you-stay-to-the-am-15538-words-by) the tumblr post if you'd be so kind as to reblog or come visit me on [tumblr](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com) and say hi!


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